Seafood and Gin coming to Richmond Hill this weekend

The Gin Blossoms, who will headline the 2012 Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival, which runs Oct. 19-21 in Richmond Hill, got their start on the college circuit. But the band’s engaging sound took them to the top of the charts with hits such as “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You” and “Til I Hear It From You.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah5gAkna3jI

The band was founded in Tempe, Ariz. In 1989, it qualified to play at SXSW after readers of the Phoenix New Times chose it as the city’s best rock band.

Then the band was invited to play at MTV’s New Music Awards in New York City. A contract with A&M Records soon followed.

In 1996, the band’s hit “As Long As It Matters” garnered a Grammy nomination for “Best Performance by a Duo or Group.” But despite multiple platinum singles and albums, the group took a break that lasted until 2002.

The band’s latest album, “No Chocolate Cake,” was released in September and members are touring in support of it.

Lead guitarist Jesse Valenzuela has been involved in music his whole life.

“My father was a pretty good singer,” he says. “All of my cousins and uncles are professional musicians and all my cousins and I played piano and guitar.”

Valenzuela was only 14 when he started playing guitar, and it wasn’t long before he played professionally. “I started playing bars at 15 years old,” he says.

“I was playing with guys a little bit older,” Valenzuela says. “They already had the gigs and the bar owners didn’t really worry about me.”

Even though he was in bars, Valenzuela wasn’t exposed to much that was inappropriate. “Between sets, I’d sit backstage,” he says. “My parents let me do it.”

The huge success of the Gin Blossoms took place over time. “The Gin Blossoms started making noise around Phoenix,” Valenzuela says.

“Then we started booking in Texas and California. It was almost like a farm for Major League baseball players. Sooner or later, someone will send a talent scout to check you out.

“We were going to different musical events and conventions and confabs like that,” Valenzuela says. “It was a good way to see if we would crumble or rise to the occasion.”

Current band members are Bill Leen, Robin Wilson, Scott “Scotty” Johnson, Scott Hessel and Valenzuela.

At first, the band used a different lead singer, then for a time Valenzuela sang lead — somewhat reluctantly. “I had always been a guitar player,” he says.

“When we lost a guitar player, we hired another guy to help us out. We got Rob. He was a really swinging guitar player and he had such a beautiful voice, we just let him sing.”

Other band members share vocal duties. “We found this nice combination of our vocals that has always worked,” Valenzuela says. “We sang really well together.”

Band members realized they’d reached the big time when they were booked for national TV appearances. “That’s when you know your parents are going to stay up later than they normally do to watch,” Valenzuela says.

“It’s terrifying to someone who has never been on TV in any shape or form to be told in 30 minutes you’re going to be on Letterman,” he says. “But after you do it once or twice, it goes by so quickly you realize that even if you made a mistake, who would know? Now there are very few things I’m afraid of.”

But Valenzuela doesn’t consider being a rock star his biggest accomplishment.

“It’s nothing compared to having your first child,” he says.

Valenzuela is the proud father of a 13-year-old son.

“He’s just wonderful.”

Over the years, the Gin Blossoms have gone through different stages. “This one we’re currently in seems the most satisfying,” Valenzuela says.

“I just really love playing more than I have in ages. The shows have been terrific.

“I think I’m more grateful now, having been through life a little bit, getting some bumps and bruises,” he says. “You start to appreciate some really great things that have happened over the years.”

The Gin Blossoms do 80 to 90 shows a year. “We’re out all summer and off for the holidays,” Valenzuela says.

In addition to the Gin Blossoms, Valenzuela has a trio of his own. “We play a lot of shows and have a new solo record,” he says.

Valenzuela also is known for his songwriting, and he has co-written songs with Stevie Nicks, Marshall Crenshaw, J.D. Souther, The Rembrandts, Tommy Keene, Judy Collins and others.

“I’ve started writing some music for the Gin Blossoms,” he says. “I’ve got a bag of 10, 11 songs. I’m hoping to record some sometime next year.

“I want my songs to sound like they weren’t written. I hate to see a sentence that I can see the construction in it.”

To get inspired, Valenzuela listens to the music of his youth. “I was in a bookstore this morning and heard a new Bob Dylan record,” he says. “It was traditional blues riffs.

“I need to listen to some music I really loved as a child,” Valenzuela says. “Or listen to songwriters like Dylan, John Hiatt, John Crowell or Nick Lowell. It depends on what sort of monkey I have to feed.”

Seafood fest

The Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival takes place the third weekend in October at J.F. Gregory Park behind the Richmond Hill City Hall complex.

It began in 1985 at the Kilkenny Fisherman’s Co-op as a small, community fundraiser that offered local seafood. In 1998, then-Mayor Richard Davis approached the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce to move the festival to Richmond Hill.

Over the next few years, changes were made to include a carnival, Saturday events and nationally known musical acts. Today, a committee of 300 people puts a festival together that is attended by about 35,000 people.

The seafood is still the centerpiece, but there also are arts and crafts booths, a classic car show, the 5K Crab Crawl and live entertainment. Previous headliners have included the Little River Band, Lou Gramm & John Waite, Charlie Daniels, Survivor, Eddie Money, The Blues Brothers, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, the Swingin’ Medallions, Gregg Allman & Friends, The Original Tams and The O’Kaysions.

On Friday night, the Georgia Fire Band will open at 7 p.m. The band plays Southern rock and country in the coastal Georgia area.